As products evolve, the firmware of ZhengMotion Technology products is constantly being updated and improved. New firmware addresses new customer needs and software bugs, adds commands and functions, and includes more EtherCAT slaves and I/O modules. Therefore, firmware upgrades are a common function. We recommend using the latest RTSys software. The software download address is as follows:
https://www.zmotion.com.cn/download_list_4.html
This article uses the ZMC406R-V2 motion controller as an example to introduce various ways to upgrade the firmware for positive motion.
ZMC406R-V2 6-axis bus-type motion controller
The ZMC406R-V2 is a multi-axis, high-performance, independent motion controller based on EtherCAT bus and pulse technology, developed by Zheng Motion Technology. It features 6 built-in local differential pulse axes and can be expanded to a maximum of 32 axes, enabling multi-axis motion control applications using a hybrid interpolation of bus axes and pulse axes. It also supports remote display functionality, providing network configuration display for real-time monitoring and adjustment of parameter settings.
ZMC406R-V2 Hardware Features:
(1) Supports 6-axis motion control (pulse + EtherCAT bus), with a minimum EtherCAT communication cycle of up to 250us; (2) 24 general-purpose inputs, 12 general-purpose outputs, and 2 analog outputs (DA), including 2 high-speed inputs and 2 high-speed outputs;
(3) Six-channel 10MHz high-speed differential pulse output, with mixed interpolation of bus axis and pulse axis;
(4) RS485/RS232 can be used to connect instruments, sensors, etc.;
(5) Built-in multiple real-time motion control functions, such as visual shooting, multi-dimensional PSO, high-speed position latching, multi-axis synchronous operation, etc.;
(6) I/O hardware resources can be expanded through the EtherCAT expansion module, up to 4096 isolated input ports and 4096 isolated output ports;
(7) It has rich motion control functions, such as point-to-point motion, electronic cam, linear interpolation, circular interpolation, continuous trajectory machining, and control of 30+ robot models (SCARA, Delta, 6-joint);
(8) Supports power failure detection and power failure storage, and multiple program encryption methods, which can effectively prevent system failures, protect project engineering file data, and improve system reliability;
(9) Project development is carried out through the domestic IDE development environment RTSys, which can perform real-time simulation, online tracking, diagnosis and debugging. It is easy to use and supports secondary development through joint programming of multiple high-level host computer languages.
ZMC432CL-V2 32-axis bus-type motion controller with pulse full closed loop.
The ZMC432CL-V2 is a high-performance motion controller with high-speed real-time feedback and supports pulse full closed-loop control, enabling high-precision, high-response motion control. Its high-precision positioning effectively eliminates mechanical transmission errors, meeting the requirements of high-precision machining applications.
1. Hardware functional characteristics
(1) Rich motion control functions: supports linear, circular, spatial circular, and helical interpolation.
(2) Rich hardware interfaces: Supports pulse axis (with encoder feedback) and EtherCAT bus axis, with 24 inputs and 12 outputs of general IO, some of which are high-speed IO, and 2 analog outputs (DA).
(3) EtherCAT refresh cycle is as fast as 250us, which meets the requirements of high-speed communication.
(4) Supports 4-channel hardware comparison output, hardware timer, and precise output during motion, suitable for multi-channel visual aerial photography and other occasions.
(5) Supports power failure detection and power failure storage, and multiple program encryption methods, which can effectively prevent system failures, protect project engineering file data, and improve system reliability.
(6) Project development is carried out through the domestic IDE development environment RTSys, which can perform real-time simulation, online tracking, diagnosis and debugging. It is easy to use and supports secondary development through joint programming of multiple high-level host computer languages.
2. Main Features
(1) Develop various equipment using readily available APIs.
(2) Stepper Motor External Grating Ruler Full Closed-Loop Solution: ① ZMC4 series high-efficiency network port read/write, PCIe/PCI series cards can share memory interface (batch read/write of shared memory 3-5us); ② Built-in backlash compensation, bidirectional pitch compensation, 2D plane compensation, etc.; ③ Can simultaneously support mixed use of pulse axis and EtherCAT axis motion; ④ Open PT/PVT interface allows customers to customize the secondary programming of acceleration and deceleration algorithms;
▶▶▶
Firmware upgrade method
There are three ways to upgrade firmware: ▶ Using RTSys software ▶ Using ZDevelop software ▶ Using zfirmdown tool software. RTSys and ZDevelop are both development software launched by Zheng Motion that integrate motion control and machine vision functions. RTSys is a subsequent upgrade of ZDevelop. Both are powerful and support a variety of programming and development needs. However, there is no significant difference between the two in terms of firmware upgrade. Users can choose the corresponding firmware upgrade method according to the software they are using.
If you are not using either of these two software programs for programming and only need to perform firmware upgrades, then zfirmdown is the best choice for you. This software focuses on firmware upgrades, is easy to operate, and is easy to learn.
▶▶▶
Software Download
Visit the official website of Zmotion Technology Co., Ltd. (www.zmotion.com.cn) → Support and Service → Download Center → Download RTSys/ZDevelop/zfirmdown software.
The .zfm file is the controller firmware upgrade package. Select the corresponding firmware according to the controller hardware version number (the firmware package is different for different models, so ensure that you select the correct firmware package. If you need a firmware upgrade, please contact the manufacturer). The following describes the steps for firmware upgrades using the ZMC406R-V2 controller as an example, using three different methods.
▶▶▶
IP Change
Note: When using a network port connection, the controller and computer IPs must be on the same network segment! The following is a diagram illustrating how to change the computer IP address:
▶▶▶
Upgrade firmware using RTSys software.
▶ Take RTSys V1.2.01 software as an example.
1. Connect the power cord to the controller, and then power it on after physically connecting the controller to the host computer using the serial port/network port.
2. Open the RTSys software and connect to the controller. Go to "General/Controller" → "Connect" → "Controller" and select the serial port/network port to connect to the controller.
The controller's serial port has default communication parameters: baud rate 38400, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, and no parity. The serial port parameters in the image below represent: port number, baud rate, parity, and port ID (enter 0).
The controller's default initial IP address is 192.168.0.11. Select the corresponding controller IP from the drop-down menu to connect.
After a successful connection, you will see the following statement in the "Commands and Outputs" box: Successfully connected to the ZMC406R-V2 controller. The current software version of the controller is Version: 4.93-20231101.
3. Click “Controller” → “Controller Status”, copy HardVersion (hardware version, as shown in the figure below, the hardware version of ZMC406R-V2 is 432-0), obtain the latest firmware file of the controller from the relevant technical personnel and download and decompress it.
4. The specific steps for firmware upgrade are as follows: ① Click "Controller" → "Firmware Upgrade". In the firmware upgrade interface, you can also view the current controller software version as 4.93-20231101. In the "Firmware Upgrade" interface, click "Browse" in the "Firmware File" section.
② Select the firmware file you just extracted and open it;
③ Click "Upgrade," a pop-up message will appear asking "Does the controller need to be restarted to ZBI0S?" Click "OK";
④ When the "Connect to Controller" screen pops up, repeat step "2" to reconnect to the controller;
⑤ After a successful connection, click "Upgrade" again on the "Firmware Upgrade" interface. A pop-up window will display "Downloading files, please wait";
⑥ After the download is complete, the "Commands and Outputs" section will display that the firmware upgrade was successful and the connection to the controller will be automatically disconnected;
5. Repeat step “2” to reconnect the controller. You will see that the “Commands and Outputs” box and the “Firmware Upgrade” interface both show that the software version of ZMC406R-V2 has been upgraded to 4.93-20240111.
▶▶▶
Upgrade firmware using ZDevelop software.
▶ Take ZDevelop V3.10.10 software as an example.
1. Connect the power cord to the controller, and then power it on after physically connecting the controller to the host computer using the serial port/network port.
2. Open the ZDevelop software and connect to the controller: "Controller" - "Connect", select serial port/network port to connect to the controller. The controller's serial port default communication parameters are baud rate 38400, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, and no parity. The serial port parameters in the image below represent: serial port number, baud rate, parity, and serial port ID (enter 0). The controller's default initial IP address is 192.168.0.11; select the corresponding controller IP from the drop-down menu to connect.
After a successful connection, you will see the following statement in the "Commands and Outputs" box, indicating that you have successfully connected to the ZMC406R-V2 controller. The current software version of the controller is Version: 4.93-20190229.
3. Click “Controller” → “Controller Status”, copy HardVersion (hardware version, as shown in the figure below, the hardware version of ZMC406R-V2 is 432-0), obtain the latest firmware file of the controller from the relevant technical personnel and download and decompress it.
4. The specific steps for firmware upgrade can be divided into the following points.
① Click “Controller” → “Firmware Upgrade”, and then click “OK” in the pop-up window;
② You can also check the current controller software version as 4.93-20190229 on the firmware upgrade interface. Click "Browse" in the "Firmware Files" section;
③ Select the firmware file you just extracted and open it;
④ Click "Upgrade," a pop-up message will appear asking "Does the controller need to be restarted to ZBIOS?" Click "OK";
⑤ When the "Connect to Controller" screen pops up, repeat step "2" to reconnect to the controller;
⑥ After successful connection, click "Upgrade" on the "Firmware Upgrade" interface. A pop-up window will display "Downloading files, please wait";
⑦ After the download is complete, the "Commands and Outputs" section will display that the firmware upgrade was successful and the connection with the controller will be automatically disconnected.
5. Repeat step “2” to reconnect the controller. You will see that the “Commands and Outputs” box, the “Firmware Upgrade” interface, and the “Controller Status” interface all show that the software version of ZMC406R-V2 has been upgraded to 4.93-20190305.
▶▶▶
Use the zfirmdown software to upgrade firmware.
1. Connect the power cord to the controller, and then power it on after physically connecting the controller to the host computer using the serial port/network port.
2. Open the zfirmdown firmware upgrade tool, select serial port/network port to connect to the controller (the controller's serial port default communication parameters are baud rate 38400, data bits 8, stop bits 1, no parity. The controller's default initial IP address is 192.168.0.11; select the controller IP from the drop-down menu to connect).
3. After successful connection, the "Current Controller Information" field will display the current controller type, hardware version, firmware version (4.93-20190229), and its serial number. Copy the hardware version number, obtain the latest firmware file for the controller from the relevant technical personnel, and download and extract it.
4. In the "File" tab, click "Browse" to select the firmware file you just extracted; click "Update" to open it. A reconnection window will pop up. Click "OK"; repeat step 2 to reconnect the controller. The top of the screen will display "ZBIOS connection successful"; click "Update" again. The progress bar will keep moving forward, and the firmware is being upgraded.
5. Once the progress bar is full, an upgrade success screen will pop up, at which point the connection between the controller and the host computer will automatically disconnect.
6. Repeat step “2” to reconnect the controller. You will see that the current “Controller Information” section → “Firmware Version” has been upgraded to 4.93-20190305.
That concludes our sharing of the firmware upgrade for the EtherCAT motion controller.
For more exciting content, please follow the "Zheng Motion Assistant" WeChat official account. For related development environment and example code, please contact Zheng Motion's technical sales engineer: 400-089-8936.
This article is original content from Zheng Motion Technology. We welcome everyone to reprint it for mutual learning and to jointly improve China's intelligent manufacturing level. Copyright belongs to Zheng Motion Technology. Please indicate the source if you reprint this article.
